The present invention relates to cooling units. Illustrative embodiments relate to, but not exclusively to, cooling units for use with computer systems.
Electronic circuitry, and particularly processor circuitry, is susceptible to performance deterioration if it is allowed to operate outside of an ideal temperature range. In some circumstances electronic circuits can even fail due to an excess of heat.
To reduce the likelihood of electronic circuitry overheating, it is possible to provide forced cooling by using cooling units. For example, a computer system can comprise electronic circuitry housed within a casing. Typically, the casing includes at least one vent or aperture that can be located towards the rear of the casing, adjacent to which a cooling unit, for example a fan unit, is mounted. Fans are operated to drive warmed air heated by the encased electronic circuitry out of the casing, through the vent(s) or aperture(s) and then to the surrounding environment. The casing will also typically incorporate air intake slots through which cooler air can initially enter the casing. The fans can incorporate mechanisms for controlling the rotational speed of the fan blades and/or a tachometric output for sensing the actual blade rotation speed. These control and sensing inputs can be used in a feedback arrangement to vary the fan speed depending upon the power consumption of the electronic circuitry. Generally, the fans are connected to a power supply by way of flexible wires coupled to a block connector plug. A co-operating block connector socket can be formed on a computer motherboard and can provide both power connections and additional connections for feedback control.
Although the use of fans is a fairly inexpensive way to provide forced cooling, conventional fans do suffer from drawbacks. A conventional fan typically includes “a flying lead” with electrical connectors at the free end for making electrical connections for power and/or electrical signals to the fan. These wire connectors (such as block connectors) are susceptible to damage as connection and/or disconnection to a mating connector on a circuit board is effected. The contacts can become bent and/or the wires become loose or break internally, thereby either breaking contact completely or causing intermittent electrical contact. This can affect the reliability of the cooling system and lead to the types of problem associated with overheating as mentioned above. Also, when a fan unit is replaced, it is necessary to obtain a fan unit with wires of an appropriate length to avoid difficulties in making the electrical connections.
Furthermore, the operation to replace a faulty fan unit of the “flying lead” type requires first an operation to fix the fan to the casing, and secondly an operation to locate the appropriate power supply connection and connect the electrical connector of the fan thereto. This two-stage process is time consuming for the maintenance operative, and cannot be entrusted to an unskilled operator.